Here's How To Keep Track Of The Ultra Confusing 'Big Brother' Schedule

It's officially summer, which means it's time to welcome back one of your favorite TV shows of the season. The premiere of Big Brother Season 21 is just hours away, which means 16 new Houseguests will be battling it out for that $500K grand prize. The competition is always fierce when it comes to this series, which is why you won't want to miss a moment of the action. So figuring out when Big Brother Season 21 airs is crucial, especially since the schedule has a tendency to be all over the map at times and can prove to be a little confusing, even for diehard fans.

The good news is that Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves makes a point at the end of each episode of reminding fans about when the next episode will air, so if you're ever unsure about the air dates, paying special attention at the end of each episode should clear up any remaining questions you have.

But for those of you who would like to get a general idea of just how many nights should be set aside for some Big Brother drama, here's what you need to know before heading into this brand new season:

The Premiere Week

Since this is the start of the season, the premiere will consist of two episodes, which will air on back-to-back nights on Tuesday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET and Wednesday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS All Access. Sounds pretty simple so far, right? But here's where things start to get a little more tricky...

The Holiday Factor

After the two-night premiere event, Big Brother will air a brand new episode on that following Sunday, June 30 at 8 p.m. ET. This will then be followed by another episode that will debut on Tuesday, July 2 at 8 p.m. ET along with the first live eviction episode taking place on Wednesday, July 3 at 8 p.m. ET. This means that prior to the Fourth of July, new episodes will come out on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. However, that pattern will ultimately change once the holiday week is over.

The Three-Night Change-Up

Following the July 3 installment, Big Brother will once again air a new episode on Sunday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET as per usual. However, instead of having new episodes come out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. that week, the schedule will shift the hour-long program over to Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Are you properly confused yet? Basically, the big takeaway here is this: new episodes will air on Tuesday/Wednesday/Sunday starting on June 25 through July 7. Then starting on July 10, the schedule will revert back to its typical Wednesday/Thursday/Sunday lineup.

There may be a few change-ups as the season progresses, but for the most part, those are the evenings to set aside this summer. And for a show whose motto is to "expect the unexpected" that's all you can really hope for at the end of the day. Let the games begin!